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Match Georgia or Azerbaijan? Tbilisi and Baku on the tape

Georgia Azerbaijan

Wine country and mountain roads, or a Caspian capital with an old walled heart. They share a border and not much else.

toltips editorial · facts verified 15 September 2026

Tale of the tape

Six facts a Portuguese or EU passport holder needs before choosing. Every cell names the page it was read from and the date.

GeorgiaWine, towers, the Caucasus wall AzerbaijanOil money and a walled old city
No visa for stays up to one year portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15 Entry on a Portuguese or EU passport e-Visa before travel, single entry, 30 days portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15
6 h 15 min to Tbilisi (TBS), 4,527 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15 Flight from Lisbon (estimate) 6 h 45 min to Baku (GYD), 4,975 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15
Lari (GEL) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15 Currency Azerbaijan Manat (AZN) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15
May to Sep worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15 Best months (climate normals) May to Oct worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15
61, below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15 Price level, Portugal = 100 49, well below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15
Gergeti Trinity Church, Kazbegi and Mtskheta georgia.travel, read 2026-09-15 Named sights (tourism board) Icherisheher, the walled Old City of Baku and Gobustan rock art azerbaijan.travel, read 2026-09-15
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Month by month
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The rounds

Four rounds scored by a stated rule on the numbers above; one round, the sights, by our judgement. Ties on the card go to the sights round.

Round 1: Getting in

Georgia

Georgia: visa-free on a passport. Portuguese citizens enter visa-free for up to a year; a travel insurance policy covering the whole stay is required at entry. Azerbaijan: an e-visa applied for before travel. An electronic visa from the ASAN portal (evisa.gov.az), applied for at least three working days ahead; single entry, up to 30 days; passport valid six months beyond the visa; stays over 15 days must be registered. Georgia lets you in for a year on a passport plus insurance; Azerbaijan wants the e-visa first. It is quick, three hours in practice, but it is a step Georgia does not ask for.

Rule: Fewer hoops wins: ID card, then visa-free, then on-arrival permit, then e-visa, then consular visa.

Paperwork, fewer is better
Georgia: 1 Azerbaijan: 3

Round 2: Getting there

Georgia

From Lisbon, Tbilisi is 4,527 km on the great circle, about 6 h 15 min nonstop; Baku is 4,975 km, about 6 h 45 min. Half an hour of difference on the great circle, none in reality: both connect through the same hubs.

Rule: Shorter estimated flight from Lisbon wins.

Hours in the air (estimate)
Georgia: 6.25 h Azerbaijan: 6.75 h

Round 3: When to go

Azerbaijan

Tbilisi's normals give 5 months in the comfortable band (May to Sep); Baku's give 6 (May to Oct). Baku's coastal position gives it a longer autumn than Tbilisi; both are hot in July and August, and Tbilisi is the hotter of the two.

Rule: More months with a mean of 14 to 27 C and under 80 mm of rain wins.

Comfortable months
Georgia: 5 Azerbaijan: 6

Round 4: What it costs

Azerbaijan

On the World Bank's consumption price level, with Portugal at 100, Georgia sits at 61 (below Portugal) and Azerbaijan at 49 (well below Portugal). Azerbaijan's price level is the lower on the World Bank index, and it is a fair reflection outside Baku's business hotels.

Rule: Lower price level relative to Portugal wins.

Price level, Portugal = 100
Georgia: 61 Azerbaijan: 49

Round 5: What you came for

Georgia

Georgia's board leads with Gergeti Trinity Church, Kazbegi and Mtskheta; Azerbaijan's with Icherisheher, the walled Old City of Baku and Gobustan rock art. Baku's Icherisheher, the Gobustan rock art and the mud volcanoes make a compact three days. Georgia's Kazbegi, Mtskheta and Kakheti make a week that does not repeat itself. Georgia on breadth.

Rule: Editorial. The one round we score by judgement, and we say why.

3:2

Georgia for the week, Baku for the long weekend

Georgia wins on entry and on the amount of country worth driving through. Azerbaijan wins on price and on season, and Baku is a better three-day city than Tbilisi, with a seafront, a walled old town and money spent on museums. If you have a week, Georgia. If you have a long weekend from a Gulf connection, Baku, and the rail line to Tbilisi if you want to add the other.

Ringside questions

Can I cross from Georgia into Azerbaijan by land?

The Lagodekhi-Balakan crossing is open to foreigners with a valid e-visa, and there is a night train between Tbilisi and Baku. Check the Portuguese foreign ministry's Azerbaijan page for current registration rules before you go.

How fast is the Azerbaijan e-visa?

The foreign ministry's page says the ASAN system issues it within three hours, including weekends, but asks for the application at least three working days before arrival.

Is Baku expensive?

Azerbaijan's national price level is 49 against Portugal's 100 on the World Bank measure used here. Baku's international hotels price like Europe; everything else does not.

The two corners, in numbers

Georgia

Hub
Tbilisi, Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)
From Lisbon
4,527 km, about 6 h 15 min nonstop
Entry
Portuguese citizens enter visa-free for up to a year; a travel insurance policy covering the whole stay is required at entry.
Money
Lari (GEL); price level 61 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Tbilisi station, 1961-1990: July mean 24.4 C, January mean 1.7 C; 5 comfortable months (May to Sep)
Board names
Gergeti Trinity Church, Kazbegi; Mtskheta (Georgian National Tourism Administration)

Wine, towers, the Caucasus wall

Azerbaijan

Hub
Baku, Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD)
From Lisbon
4,975 km, about 6 h 45 min nonstop
Entry
An electronic visa from the ASAN portal (evisa.gov.az), applied for at least three working days ahead; single entry, up to 30 days; passport valid six months beyond the visa; stays over 15 days must be registered.
Money
Azerbaijan Manat (AZN); price level 49 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Baku station, 1971-1990: July mean 26.4 C, January mean 4.3 C; 6 comfortable months (May to Oct)
Board names
Icherisheher, the walled Old City of Baku; Gobustan rock art (Azerbaijan Tourism Board)

Oil money and a walled old city

How this card was scored

The tape holds six facts per side, each read from an official page on 15 September 2026: the Portuguese foreign ministry's travel advice for entry rules, the WMO's climate normals as supplied by each national weather service, the World Bank's consumption price level, the ISO currency list, the OurAirports coordinates for the flight estimate, and the national tourism board for the named sights. Rounds one to four are decided by the rules printed under each round. Round five is the one call we make ourselves, and the paragraph says why it went to Georgia.

Flight times are an estimate of a nonstop from Lisbon at 800 km/h plus half an hour; many of these routes connect, and the connection is where the real difference lies. Price levels are national averages; a capital's hotel district can sit well above them. Visa rules move: the source page and its read date sit in every cell so you can check the rule before you fly.

Sources and last verified